What makes jasmine Dragon Pearl Tea unique is its pleasant and delicate aroma. This comes from blending the tea leaves with petals from the jasmine flower.

The best Jasmine Dragon Pearl Teas come from Fujian province in the southeast coast of China. Fujian is a province is one of the most important regions in the world both in total tea output, production of high-quality artisan teas, and development of different styles of tea and methods of tea production. Fujian enjoys warm climate, abundant rainfall and does not have too cold winters or too hot summers. Fujian is a mainly mountainous region and the jasmine flower plant is grown at high elevations.

The Jasmine plant is believed to have been introduced into China from Persia over 1700 years ago. Since the time of the Song dynasty of China (960-1279) the young tea leaf has been hand-rolled into small pearls and mixed with fragrant jasmine blossoms. However, it was reserved for the Imperial Court of China until the Qing Dynasty when jasmine tea was exported in large quantities to the West. The dragon element of the name is unclear. Some believe that it comes from the look of the leaves as they unfurl, looking like Chinese dragons whilst others believe it takes its name from the pearls traditionally seen under the feet of stone dragons standing guard at the entrances to imperial palaces.

In making Jasmine Pearls only the finest leaves of the tea plant are plucked. After plucking, the leaves are withered on traditional bamboo trays to reduce their moisture, making them supple and conducive for hand rolling. The green leaves and buds are then tightly rolled into small ‘pearl’ shapes with extraordinary skill. The technique for hand rolling pearls takes years to master. The tea ‘pearls’ are then heated.

Scenting happens in the summer period and involves a traditional scenting process of layering tea leaves with fresh jasmine blossoms. The jasmine blossoms naturally open at dusk and the scent is infused into the tea leaves. This process is repeated over several days so when the tea is brewed it gives a rich sweet jasmine flavour. Sometimes orchid flowers are used in conjunction with the jasmine blossoms as a “flavour enhancer” to make the jasmine scent even more intense. After scenting, the jasmine blossoms are removed leaving only the jasmine scented pearls.

During the brewing process, the The pearly leaves unfurl like blossoms during brewing to create a beautifully light and aromatic brew which releases layers of flavour with each steeping. The flavour is sweet, smooth, clean and beautifully perfumed.